Loni: Maharashtra-zone winners Pune FC will kick off their Under-19 I-League 2014-15 Final Round campaign against city rivals DSK Shivajians FC at the DSK Football Field in Loni on 20th April, 2015.

Having qualified to the final round after a one year hiatus (2013-14), two-time former champions Pune FC will be eager to make their mark in the final round which is being held for the very first time in Pune.

The final round consists of eight teams – two each from the Maharashtra, Goa and Kolkata Zones respectively and one side each from the North East and Rest of India Zones. The fortnight-long stage will be played on an all-play-all basis with each team facing the all the other sides once.

A thrilling 5-2 win over Kenkre FC in Mumbai in the final round helped Pune FC (17 pts, GD +22) pip Shivajians (17 pts, GD +19) on goal difference to take the top spot in the Maharashtra Zone.

Moreover, Pune FC goes into the final stage as the highest goalscoring team among all 22 participating sides having netted a total of 31 times in 8 matches in the zonals.

Post their opener against Shivajians, Pune FC take on Salgaocar FC (April 22), AIFF Elite Academy (April 24), United SC (April 27) and Chanmari FC (April 29) in the final week of April. The final two fixtures in the month of May sees Pune FC face Mohun Bagan (May 2) and Hindustan FC (May 5). All games will be played at the DSK Football Field in Loni.

This is the fourth time that Pune FC has qualified for the final stage in this tournament. The first time Pune FC qualified was in 2009-10 before winning back-to-back titles in 2011-12 and 2012-13.


Pune FC Schedule

20/04/2015 – Rd 1 vs. DSK Shivajians FC (Maharashtra Zone)

22/04/2015 – Rd 2 vs. Salgaocar FC (Goa Zone)

25/04/2015 – Rd 3 vs. AIFF Elite Academy (Goa Zone)

27/04/2015 – Rd 4 vs. United SC (Kolkata Zone)

29/04/2015 – Rd 5 vs. Chanmari FC (North-East Zone)

02/05/2015 – Rd 6 vs. Mohun Bagan AC (Kolkata Zone)

05/05/2015 – Rd 7 vs. Hindustan FC (Rest of India Zone)